since, but nothing that gave me such an intimate
impression of the savage instincts hidden in the breast of mankind; these
yells of festivity suggested agonizing fear, rage of murder, ferocity of
lust, and the irremediable joylessness of human condition: yet they were
emitted by people who were convinced that they were amusing themselves
supremely, traditionally, with the sanction of ages, with the approval of
their conscience--and no mistake about it whatever! Our appearance, the
soberness of our gait made us conspicuous. Once or twice, by common
inspiration, masks rushed forward and forming a circle danced round us
uttering discordant shouts of derision; for we were an outrage to the
peculiar proprieties of the hour, and besides we were obviously lonely
and defenceless. On those occasions there was nothing for it but to
stand still till the flurry was over. My companion, however, would stamp
his feet with rage, and I must admit that I myself regretted not having
provided for our wearing a couple of false noses, which would have been
enough to placate the just resentment of those people. We might have
also joined in the dance, but for some reason or other it didn't occur to
us; and I heard once a high, clear woman's voice stigmatizing us for a
"species of swelled heads" (_espece d'enfles_). We proceeded sedately,
my companion muttered with rage, and I was able to resume my thinking.
It was based on the deep persuasion that the man at my side was insane
with quite another than Carnivalesque lunacy which comes on at one stated
time of the year. He was fundamentally mad, though not perhaps
completely; which of course made him all the greater, I won't say danger
but, nuisance.

I remember once a young doctor expounding the theory that most
catastrophes in family circles, surprising episodes in public affairs and
disasters in private life, had their origin in the fact that the world
was full of half-mad people. He asserted that they were the real
majority. When asked whether he considered himself as belonging to the
majority, he said frankly that he didn't think so; unless the folly of
voicing this view in a company, so utterly unable to appreciate all its
horror, could be regarded as the first symptom of his own fate. We
shouted down him and his theory, but there is no doubt that it had thrown
a chill on the gaiety of our gathering.

We had now entered a quieter quarter of the town and Senor Ortega had
ceased hi